Lancet Diabetes – Users May Eventually Have More Pain-Free Choices

If you are one of the many Americans faced with having to use lancets (Lancet Diabetes), you may be excited to learn that there could very well be alternatives available in the near future. Word of the potential alternative was released during the last World Diabetes Congress. Here’s a look at what the advancement is and how it may change diabetics’ lives:

The company making the announcement was Abbott Diabetes Care. The potential advancement is being touted as an ambulatory glucose profile device. It is currently undergoing a clinical trial period. So it is likely to remain unavailable until sometime in the future. Nonetheless, the results thus far have been encouraging.

Unlike diabetes lancets, this device gets surgically implanted underneath the skin much like a microchip. Once it’s in place, the technology involved uses the wearer’s interstitial fluid to generate readings. The readings remain inside of the device and can only be accessed through the use of a scanner. The scanner, in turn, enters the data into a multifunctional computer program that may be accessed by the wearer and his or her healthcare team.

Although all of that sounds great, as of yet, the new system is not fool-proof. For example, it has to be used with the scanner and can only remain under the skin for two weeks. In addition, it is not capable of being used with programmable alarm systems at this time. However, it is hoped that once perfected, this new technology will virtually eliminate the need for traditional diabetes lancets.

In the meantime, if you are experiencing unbearable pain with your existing diabetes lancing device, you may want to talk to your healthcare professional about switching to a different model. There are various diabetes lancets on the market today that are designed for people with pain sensitivities.